The invention comprises improvements to a triple helical flow vortex reactor, which is fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,452,513, issued 18 Nov. 2008, (the '513 patent), which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Without repeating all of the explanation in that patent, it is necessary to describe the minimum components of a triple helical flow vortex reactor to give meaning and context to the improvements disclosed herein.
FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a triple helical flow vortex reactor (100) that includes improvements of the invention. A triple helical flow vortex reactor (100) comprises a reaction chamber (105) having a fuel inlet end (150) and a gas outlet end (160) at opposing axial ends of the reaction chamber (105), an inner wall (111) and an outer wall (112). The reaction chamber (105) is shown within the dashed enclosure. While the term fuel inlet end (150) is used, this end is also known as a fuel and reagents inlet end.
The triple helical flow vortex reactor (100) comprises a means to create fluid flow vortexes at the inner wall (111) that spiral towards each other from the ends of the reaction chamber (105). This means is a circumferential flow apparatus at each end and is discussed more fully in the '513 patent.
The triple helical flow vortex reactor (100) comprises a first circumferential fluid flow apparatus (115) fluidly connected to the reaction chamber (105) at the gas outlet end (160) for creating a circumferential fluid-flow first vortex (175) at the periphery of the reaction chamber (105) such that fluid-flow first vortex (175) spirals away from the gas outlet end (160).
The triple helical flow vortex reactor (100) comprises a second circumferential fluid flow apparatus (145) at the fuel inlet end (150) for creating a circumferential fluid-flow second vortex (170) at the periphery of the reaction chamber (105) in a direction reverse to the fluid flow first vortex (175). These two vortexes meet and create a mixing region where they meet.
The third vortex is typically induced by the swirling introduction of fuel, or a fuel and oxidizer mixture, into the reaction chamber (105).
The triple helical flow vortex reactor (100) used in the present invention is configured to include in the reaction chamber (105) a radio-transparent portion and to further comprise an electromagnetic wave generator (106). This electromagnetic wave generator (106) comprises a high frequency generator capable of creating electromagnetic waves at a plurality of frequencies selected from within a range of tens of kilohertz to thousands of gigahertz through radio-transparent portion; a wave guide; and an initiator within the reaction chamber. The improvements disclosed herein eliminate the need for a plasma generator in the electromagnetic wave generator described in the '513 patent.
As a standard industry practice, the conversion of standard/industrial low frequency (50-60 Hz) electrical power into a high frequency form (radio frequency or microwaves), would be accomplished using a high-frequency power supply. To transfer and feed high-frequency power into the reaction chamber, a wave guide or inductor would typically be used. Conventional wires and cables do not work. The typical practice is to match a high-frequency power supply output with the load and to accomplish this, a matching box is used. So, a conventional high-frequency system typically includes at least a high-frequency power supply, matching device (matching box), and waveguide or inductor.
When operating at a radio frequency wave band (preferably from 400 kHz to several dozen MHz) the waveguide is termed an “inductor” and is in the form of coil with several turns (normally from three to six) of copper tubing (¼″ and up). A copper coil is as the cheapest non-magnetic coil with high electrical conductivity. A number of turns is defined to match the inductor's inductivity and electrical resistance, which provide matching with the high-frequency power supply output.
In case of higher frequency from hundreds to thousands of MHz (MW waveband), the waveguide could have either rectangle, square or ellipse configuration. These waveguides positioning relative to the reaction chamber in the present invention vary from perpendicular to co-axial. Number of waveguides could also vary from one to several.